Skimmerless?

[Secondgen]

Hello all, I am starting to plan my sump configuration, and I am wanting to make my fuge as big as possible. I will probably be using a 15 gallon standard glass tank. My question is with a decent sized fuge do you think this would be enough to keep a 29 gallon reef tank healthy without a skimmer? The reason I am contemplating this approach is because I have been reading articles about nano tanks using only natural filtration live rock, and fuges with great results especially in the water quality department.  Does anyone here run a skimmerless system? I have always been a believer in the natural way of doing things whenever possible. Just looking for some feedback. God bless.

[ohioreef]

In reality, a skimmer is "natural" filtration as it is replicating the foaming action that occurs along the ocean shores.

The skimmer vs skimmerless debate is a heated debate. As with everything else in this hobby, what works for one doesn't necessarily mean it will work for the next guy. If I were you, I'd give it a shot and see what happens. You can always add a skimmer later.

[Secondgen]

Thanks Gary I didn't even think about the foaming action that occurs on the shoreline. Thats probably what I will do try it without then add the skimmer again if it is needed.

[bsinger]

Gary gave me a link to another site and I have been reading it and there are a few on the site that run skimmerless with no problem. If you do it right you should be able to get away with no skimmer.

[Secondgen]

Thats cool like I said I do have a good skimmer, but just want to see what happens.

[ohioreef]

Gary gave me a link to another site and I have been reading it and there are a few on the site that run skimmerless with no problem. If you do it right you should be able to get away with no skimmer.

Hmmm.....can't recall that......

[bigfalcon36]

id go skimmerless on a mature reef, but since a 29 is so small leave the skimmer on youll see better results. 

Bigger systems see less effect from problems.  Your system, being small, will see a magnified result if something goes wrong.  Just my opinion though.

[Secondgen]

Why does it always got to be about size with you BIGfalcon. Just kiddin.

[micki]

Why does it always got to be about size with you BIGfalcon. Just kiddin.

Finally others are also seeing what Travis is all about! 

[verper]

Lots of water changes if you go skimmerless.  Something has to export the waste. You should also keep your bioload low to be sucessful - meaning only 2-3 smaller fish in your size tank.  The fuge will help with that.  I had a 12gal nano with 2 clowns but without a fuge, and even with monthly water changes, the nitrates slowly increased over a year to the point I started losing coral.  I'm big on export through skimmers. 

Eric Boreman is doing a study right now on what skimmers actually take out of the water.  Very interesting stuff - he was one of the first to try skimmerless.  First indications were that they took out a lot of good stuff.  Apon further research, he is showing the gunk that builds up on the skimmer neck is detrius - "probably mostly coral mucus and particulate organic material".  And another interesting thing is that he is not finding oyster eggs and phyto he feeds the tank with in the skimmate.  More reading:

http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic52254-9-1.aspx

[ohioreef]

Good link. Very interesting reading.

[atreis]

My 100g is skimmerless...  I do nutrient export using a 75g well-lit refugium instead.  Works for me and everything has been happy since I went skimmerless (with most corals actually looking happier, including the acros, and the clam growing better) EXCEPT for the polyps.  For some reason, they aren't as happy in the skimmerless tank.  Go figure.

I've been skimmerless for about nine months now.